I had forgotten for the moment when I considered that my father knowing what we had done would give away my secret that I had already made the confession that I was a transgirl. I would not have to give up being Betty. My secret would be out, it would be really difficult to return to being Tony since it would be more than my Mother, Sister, and Doctor would know about my confession of being a transgirl that I would have to confess that it was a hoax to help Kimmie.

Momma had composed herself and her face was calm. Jenny seemed more at ease seeing that Momma now had a big smile on her face."

"Jenny, I’ll make this okay for your sister. Could you give us a moment while I talk with your sister?"

"Sure Momma!"

Jenny went over to the refreshment table and picked out something else to snack on. Momma drew me close to her and pulled back the hair from one of my ears and began to whisper into it.

"Betty, I don’t want you to worry about this. You are my daughter and your father has no rights since he was stripped of them in the divorce. You are a very brave girl to want to stay your true self. With you already covertly living as a girl, I hoped you might be spared the indignities that girls in your situation sometimes have to endure. Eventually we would have had to own up that the story of you being twins was a cover if you stayed after the Summer and Tony never came home. If it happens that Carl spills the beans then we’ll just have to deal with it sooner. I love you, my daughter and I won’t let anything happen to you."

I turned my head to be face to face with Momma and put my arms around her to hug her. She enveloped me and I felt safe and loved.

"I love you, Momma. Thank you for showing your love to me always."

I heard a chorus of ‘ Awwwwwah’ around me as the girls reacted to our mother/ daughter display of affection. Momma went over and whispered something to Jenny and smothered her in a hug just like she had given me. All the girls gave another chorus of ‘Awwwwwah’ and I joined in as well.

Paris came over to me and gave me a hug.

"I imagine that it really means something to you to have your mother’s love after being without her in your life for so long."

I looked her in the eyes and spoke from my heart. While I felt no more or less loved now as I did as Tony, a mother - daughter kind of love is really special.

"My time being here sharing mother and daughter time has been the most amazing experience in my life, I don’t know anything about Tony since our parents sent us off on planes at the same time. What’s so special about him that you have to have him back here for your birthday party."

"Tony is amazingly bright for a boy. He’s so cute because he’s athletic with a very special quality about his face. His eyes are so expressive that I could lose my self in them. Not only is he bright with knowledge and common sense but he has a quick wit for humor. The funny thing that he comes up with are really amazing."

"It sounds like you have it bad for my brother. Does he know?"

"I have a serious crush on him. I haven’t come right out and told him. Of course I’ve done the usual things to show him that I am attracted to him. I feel like he picked up on them. The only thing is that since I am such an icon he might have been waiting for me to just come out and say it. I wasn’t sure I was ready and that he was the one. Knowing he is gone means that if I didn’t do something to show how much I cared for him, could make me lose him. I don’t want that to happen."

I had picked up on those signs that Paris had made that she thought I was an okay guy. It made me feel good that I had the approval of the girl I now knew as the ‘Queen Bee". Without an obvious invitation that she wanted more, I chose to wait to make sure she really meant it. Well I knew that she really meant it now when it was too late to do anything about it.

"If he’s the kind of guy that you say he is, then your invitation will let him know that you are serious about him. Even if Daddy prevents him from accepting your offer now, he’ll know how you feel. Is it possible that another girl at school has come along and snagged him?"

"I made it very clear to all the girls at school that Tony was my choice and to leave him alone. Things happen that a girl can’t help, so if another girl beat me to him, then I would wish them the best. I’d be disappointed in myself if not acting soon enough lost me a great guy like your brother."

There was one girl at school who would not have gotten that message, Kimmie, since the girls didn’t realize that the boy that they thought of as Joshua was really a girl.

"Well I hope that things work out for you. When will we know if Tony is able to accept the invitation?"

"Daddy already put in an order to deliver my message and offer to yours and Tony’s Father tomorrow. Even though they will stand by for an immediate reply to return with it, if Tony’s father doesn’t do that then we may not know until Tony either shows up with permission to fly down or doesn’t show. That’s the trouble with that cabin being in the middle of no where, communication is really difficult. With me living with everything on speed dial this kind of wait is so frustrating."

Just then a woman walked thru the door looking like she stepped out of a history book. She was tall with blonde hair and blue eyes wearing an Italian Ren gown in blue with rich brocade incorporated in the bodice which was laced up to give her some nice cleavage. Paris gave me a wink with an expression that conveyed ‘Duty calls!" as she gave my hand a squeeze and left me to find out about our guest who had arrived.

While Paris and I were talking I noticed that Momma immediately found a quiet corner of the room and made a cell phone call. She had just finished and was walking over to Dr Moss when our mysterious stranger came into the room. Momma had a chance to whisper something in her ear since Paris got to the stranger first with a greeting.

"Hello, Miss. I’m Junior Girl Scout Paris Triton, and you are?"

"Expected. I’ve heard about you, Paris, dear. The girls looked up to me, too when I was your age so I know the pressures. Be a dear and one queen bee to another, give me the space to reach the girls on my own. While you are at it, you might give the same courtesy to Dr Moss. She may not reach them as quickly but in the end it’s best to give respect since when you are older, you’ll want it too."

Paris started out being very shocked at the manner which the woman addressed her. After a bit, you could see a deep respect as Paris regarded the woman. A bit more contritely she addressed the woman again with an expression on her face that I could only regard as a true welcome.

"Yes, Ma’am. Dr Moss is right over there talking wish Mrs Hastings."

"Thank you, Paris."

As Paris turned away and the woman walked toward Dr Moss, both had the same expression of confidence. It was the same one that the woman had when she entered the room but somehow Paris had made some kind of leap of maturity and was echoing the woman’s expression. I wasn’t sure if it was there to stay on Paris but I counted even a temporary change something positive. When the woman approached Momma and Dr Moss’s conversation ended, as Dr Moss stepped forward to greet the woman.

"Alicia! It’s so good to see you! Thanks for coming. Alicia, this is Jenny and Betty’s mother,Teri. Teri this is my good friend from the SCA, Alicia."

"It’s so good to meet you, Alicia. I’m well aware of the great works of the SCA. What are you going to teach the girls today?"

"Hi Cindy! I’m glad to meet you, too Teri. The girls will learn simple dressmaking and an introduction to the SCA."

"Alicia’s been a Minister of Children which is roughly their equivalent to Troop leader. Alicia, could I impose on you to supervise the children while you teach. Teri and I have something that has just come up that I’d like to take care of as quick as I can."

"I’d be glad to, Cindy. Your position has challenges that mine doesn’t but I should be able to manage for a while. You’ll be back in to do the Girl Scout things when I conclude?"

"Of course, Alicia. I’ll introduce you to the girls and let you get started then.."

Momma walked across the front to wait at the door to the outside while Dr Moss and the woman she called, Alicia stopped in the center. The girls out of curiosity hushed as they anticipated being addressed."

"Girls! I’d like to introduce our guest."

For once Paris did not speak to take control of things but just beamed with as much anticipation as any of the girls with what was to come next.

"Girls, this is Lady Alicia of Dunbar. She’s come from a group called the SCA that brings history to life. She’ll explain about the SCA and lead you all in a crafts project where you will all get to make a dress that might have been worn in the Middle Ages. Lady Alicia!"

"Thank you, Junior Girl Scout Troop Leader Moss. As she said, I am called Lady Alicia of Dunbar within the SCA. SCA stands for the Society for Creative Anachronism. Anachronism means that we reach back in time to bring back to life another culture which in our case is Medieval or Middle ages. Creative means that instead of bringing back all of the things from that time, we only bring back the good things and we use modern technology to stay safe as we recreate the best of the Middle Ages. Let’s stop for a moment and find out what kind of questions that you might have and I’ll work the answers into the introduction that I’m going to give you before we start work on your own garb, which is what we call clothing that recreates something that a person might have worn back then. If you have a question, please raise your hand. When I call on you, you may drop your hand and Tell me who you are before you ask your question."

As Lady Alicia paused to look for hands to rise from among us girls, Mother and Dr Moss disappeared out the door to the outside. An idea formed in my head as I raised my hand first.

Lady Alicia called on me and I answered not with a question that she anticipated.

"I’m Betty Hastings. May I please be excused to go to the restroom?"

"Yes, you may, Betty."

I crossed to the front of the room in the direction where I had guessed the unmarked door led to the restroom. Lady Alicia had started calling on the other girls and everyone had their attention on Lady Alicia and she on the other girls. When I was sure I was out of her peripheral vision I cut quickly over to exit thru the door to the rest of the fire station. I quietly closed the door behind me. With the firemen out on call there was no one in the engine bay I passed thru. I exited thru the door to the outside and slowly creeped quietly to the edge of the wall where it turned at the corner. I guess that instead of the Hardy Boys where I would just jump into something and sort it out later, I was channeling Nancy Drew as I hoped that Momma and Dr Moss would discuss openly what had terrified her. There were no windows on that end of the room so I was able to creep by on the outside without being observed from the room where Lady Alicia and the girl scouts were engaged in conversation.

Beyond the corner, out of my vision was the door to the outside of the meeting room. I heard three voices as it appeared another woman had joined them in their discussion.

"Maria, thank you for coming on such short notice."

"Glad to Teri. Hi Cindy. All that I got over the phone is that this involves, Tony and his birth father. Except it’s not Tony but it’s Betty now?"

"I’ll take that last question, Maria. As you know since it was the beginning of Teri and Carl’s breakup, Tony was born intersexed. Teri acted on my advice to not rush to surgery and blocked Carl’s attempt to prematurely render Tony solely a male. We talked about using the fiction of a deep tissue wound to cover hir female parts so as not to confront the reality before ready. That’s worked out so far, but as you know puberty is the critical time both developmentally as well as with the risk of cancer and other complications so that a choice needed to be made and corrections finally made."

I was reeling when I heard the news that I was intersexed. Kimmie had told me about girls like them who had both male and female parts. I now knew what I would find under the appliance that made me look like a girl down there. I was really both a boy and girl down there. I knew that it did not seem right that they could cover up a wound like I was supposed to have with an appliance. I was beginning to really be angry that something this big had been kept from me for so long. I wasn’t a baby now!

"I remember that time to my horror. When Carl was thwarted he could not face the possibility of what he called an imperfect child. He went crazy and beat you unmercifully immediately after you got hir home from the hospital. Fortunately I was coming over to offer my help with your new baby and I heard the assault and called 911. We got you to the hospital just in time to save your life. I testified and Carl was convicted of Attempted Murder which earned him a 15 year sentence. I was able to win sole custody and no visitation rights for you for Tony/Betty in exchange for no child support. I sued him civilly and was able to strip him of his remaining wealth in the award the court made for your injuries. We shouldn’t have to worry about him for a while yet."

Oh my goodness! All of a sudden I could no longer be mad at my Momma. The beating she took to protect me and do what was best for me. Even though I was really not liking being kept in the dark for so long, I could only feel love for my Mother now. There was that funny pronoun that she used for me, hir. I guessed that it was supposed to be him and her combined just like I guessed I was now. Wow! It was really hard for me to get used to that! Now I knew that the payment that Momma received wasn’t really child support but the payment for her injuries. Now I knew why Momma was terrified that he knew that I was being Betty. If he had not changed, and he did that to Momma, what would he do to us now? Since it was clear that Miss Maria was Momma’s lawyer, I hoped together they would find a way to stop him from harming us.

"He’s out, Maria. Paris Triton was able to locate him where he had to live in a remote area to not be in a jurisdiction which would have to report his transgressions. I wasn’t notified of his release."

"Nor was I, Teri. I’m sorry. While I check this out tell me how Paris Triton got involved and what you did to give hir a chance at being a girl?"

"I examined Tony after his accident where his sister, Jenny saved him from drowning. I found that we were running out of time so far as potential complications as well as the onset of puberty. We had to find a way for Tony to experience what it was like to be a girl so that Tony/Betty could make an informed choice. We had some bad luck with both illness taking out part of our Girl Scout Troop and a Jonas Brothers concert on the night when we had the big sale at the WNBA game that would be our best fund raising chance this summer. Instead of bringing a girl in from outside for the summer which is what we would normally do when we fell one shy of our allotment, I suggested to Jenny to ask Tony to be a girl scout for the WNBA game. Of course in order to not bring in ringers for a major sale, any girl has to be a part of the troop at the end in order for her sales to count toward the contest so Tony would have to be a girl for the summer. At the end of the summer, after she had experienced life as a girl as normally as we could manage, we’d tell hir everything and let hir make hir choice."

I had a feeling that Jenny wasn’t involved. She was just the messenger. How could I be hurt at what Momma and Dr Moss wanted since they weren’t going to force me to be a girl. If they wanted to do that Momma could have just had surgery on me and be done with it. I guess the way they did it wasn’t perfect but was there any good way to do this?. For most of my life I had been at peace not knowing what was coming. Now I did and.... Opps. I think that my confession means that they think that I have already made my choice. I would have to get with Kimmie and see what she thinks I should do about that.

"Yes the release was legal. He was able to get an early release based on ‘good time’s He was released a year ago. The original restraining order is still in effect for you and Tony. I’ll get that extended to cover Jenny. I don’t want you to panic. I’ll get the detective agency that I have on retainer to stake you out and if they see Carl break the restraining order, he will have also violated his parole and he’ll go back to prison. I’ll need to...."

She kept on talking but my attention was turned away from them with the soft hand that rested on my shoulder. I slowly turned around and looked up into Lady Alicia’s face. She leaned down and whispered, "Back inside, young lady." I wilted and complied humbly. I knew that I was in trouble but with what I had heard, I didn’t regret my listening in to their conversation. Lady Alicia followed me thru the door into the fire station and quietly closed the door without a sound. There was a wooden love seat with cushions right inside the door and she directed me to sit down and she sat beside me."

"Betty, It’s not nice to listen in to others conversations. I had used my IPhone to tap into the security cameras so I had you under supervision the entire time you left the room. I’ve gotten the other girls started on their T- Dresses so they can attend an SCA event this summer. I hoped that you would come back on your own. You really should tell your mother what you heard but I’m going to leave that up to you and your honor."

"Thank you, Ma’am!"

I was so confused with all the information that I had gotten. I’m sure that there was more to the story and perhaps I would learn that when I told Momma what I knew. I was excited that I would soon have such a life changing choice, I was concerned that perhaps they would act on the choice that I had made when I did not think there would be any immediate consequences, In spite of all this emotion I had to be strong and concentrate on the task at hand otherwise I would not have to tell Momma what I knew because she would see it on my face.

As I came thru the door Jenny got up and hugged me.

"Are you okay, Sis? What happened?"

"She went looking for the bathroom that the firemen used. Betty, in the future, you should go to the one in here."

Lady Alicia opened the restroom door where I should have gone if I really needed to go.

"You can partner with your sister and I’ll show you both how to get started on your T Dresses."

"Momma brought T shirts for both of us to use as patterns and left them with me."

I had fun taking my turn to lay the T shirt down on the doubled cloth as we traced around it with sewing chalk. Then Lady Alicia showed me how to use the yard stick to measure how long the dress should be to come to my shoe tops. I drew the bottom line which was wider so the skirt would flair at the bottom. then I used the yard stick to connect the lines from the T shirt down to the bottom. Next I had to cut it out and that was fun. Finally we got to use the sewing machine to sew the 2 halves together. The last part was to pick out a trim to compliment the solid colored cotton material. There was a piece to go around the hem at the bottom, around the end of the sleeve and around the neckline. Lady Alicia explained that the trim was not just for it to look nicer but to strengthen the dress at the critical points so it would last longer since clothing back then had to last a very long time. When we were all done we all pulled our T dresses on over our clothes and modeled them. Just about that time Momma and Dr Moss came back in to the room.

"Thank you, Lady Alicia, for working with the girls to get them all into garb. Lady Alicia and I have cooked up a few other chances for you all to learn about the Middle Ages this summer. I especially like the chance for you girls to participate in an SCA weekend but before that happens, we’ll have to get at least one of your parents into garb as well to accompany you. Let’s give Lady Alicia a show of thanks!"

All of us came up orderly but got involved quickly in a big group hug surrounding Lady Alicia. We followed Paris as she led us with a response that she had taught that Jenny had filled me in on.

"Good Morrow, Lady Alicia!. Till we meet again!"

"Good Morrow, Girls! Till we meet again!"

When it was all said and done I didn’t really pay close attention to what was said. Dr Moss briefed us all on the Cookie sale.

She told us all of the rules for our conduct while we were at Philip's Arena and the specifics on how a girl scout sells cookies. There was a booklet covering everything that she said that she gave each of us. She told us about the activities that we were going to do this summer as well as the special educational activities that we had to do so we could be off of school for the week of the Jamboree. We each were given a calendar which not only had the activities marked but had an explanation on what each one was. I was so glad to have the written material because it all went over my head.

After Dr Moss dismissed the rest of the girls, she gave me a Girl Scout Manual. She went over with me the history of the Girl Scouts with it being started by Juliette Low from Georgia and told me about the Girl Scout Pledge. Also about the badges that I could earn and how to go about earning them. I was glad that I had the manual to study because even though Dr Moss made it very interesting I was still trying to make sense out of what I had overheard. I just hoped that I could get home soon to chat on the computer with Kimmie so I could try to understand everything that I now knew.

I must have had that glazed over look in my eyes even though I was fighting to stay alert to what was happening. The lesson on the Girl Scouts was over and Momma was chatting softly with Dr Moss. Jenny put her arm around me and looked into my eyes.

"Betty, what’s wrong?"